7 Reasons It's Green to Go Vegetarian
Sumati Menda
7 Reasons It's Green to Go Vegetarian
Jennifer McNeill• 7 November, 20167 November, 2016
Because the 'cowspiracy' is very real
For every 1 pound of edible beef he provides, a cow produces about 80 pounds of manure. Cow manure is notorious for releasing global warming methane as it deteriorates. In fact, this is a bigger cause of global warning than the C02 emissions from cars - making those car pools, bus ...
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- Because the 'cowspiracy' is very real
For every 1 pound of edible beef he provides, a cow produces about 80 pounds of manure. Cow manure is notorious for releasing global warming methane as it deteriorates. In fact, this is a bigger cause of global warning than the C02 emissions from cars - making those car pools, bus journeys and bike rides to work a little bit redundant.
- Because it could end overfishing
Overfishing is a form of overexploitation where fish stocks are reduced to levels where they cannot realistically reproduce back up again.
As The National Geographic reports, “A study of catch data published in 2006 in the journal Science grimly predicted that if fishing rates continue apace, all the world’s fisheries will have collapsed by the year 2048.”
- Because it greatly reduces your water footprint
Raising cattle is a water-intensive process. It averages out that vegetarians have a water footprint of 300 gallons a day compared to the 4,000 gallons of omnivores. It's been estimated that if everyone in the United States went vegetarian for a single day, they would save 100 billion gallons of water.
- Because it could save more land on the planet
A shocking 40% of the earth's land surface is used for raising farm animals. Wow, let that sink in. A farmer could feed up to 30 people for one year on the vegetables, fruit and grained cultivated on less than 2.5 acres of land but if the same area were used for the production of meat it would only been around 7 people.
- Because it can save you money
It's cheaper to eat down here at the bottom of the food chain! Eating animals takes much more energy and resources, and so it costs more money to buy meat.
- Because it could cool the Earth down
The production of meat is the number one contributor of global warming. A UN study commissioned in 2006 reported that “combined climate change emissions of animals bred for their meat were about 18% of the global total – more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.”
- Because it could stop the rise of ocean deadzones
A couple of months ago, I told a friend I'd look after his goldfish while he was away for work. I'd never had a pet fish before but how hard could it be? One morning I decided the little guy looked particularly hungry so I sprinkled some extra food into his tank with enthusiasm. The more he ate, the more he excreted and the more toxic his tank became. He didn't live to see the night. The same applies to all aquatic life. When excess sewage from animal farms is dumped or leaked into our waterways it creates hundreds of square miles now referred to as ‘dead zones’ where millions of fish and other aquatic life are being killed by these toxins. There are approximately 400 dead zones currently on the planet with that number steadily rising.
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